Early Mock 2017 Offseason

[Track Guy]

Assumed Retirements:

• Frank Gore
• Robert Mathis
• Adam Vinatieri
• Mike Adams

 

Cut:

• Arthur Jones

 

Re-sign:

• Jack Doyle 
• Erik Walden
• Zach Kerr

 

Extend: 

• Jack Mewhort
• Donte Moncrief

 

 

Free Agency:

• Zach Brown, ILB (Bills) - I think inside linebacker has been horribly mishandled on our roster. With Reggie Ragland presumably returning next year, and Tyrod Taylor plus Stephon Gilmore to re-sign, the Bills might let the NFL's leading tackler over the first half of 2016 walk. He has much better speed than the guys we have at the position now, and I think this is the key. He will turn 28 during the 2017 season, so he is in his prime.
• Karlos Williams, RB (Steelers PS) - I know he has character issues, I really don't know the details. Unless he's a really bad guy I really think we should've signed him yesterday. He was quite effective in Buffalo averaging 5.6 YPC while racking up 517 yards and 7 touchdowns. He's also capable of catching passes, he caught 11 of 14 targets for 96 yards and 2 TDs. He has a much higher ceiling moving forward than anyone currently on our roster at this position. 
• Andrew Whitworth, OL (Bengals) - Hear me out on this. Whitworth is a veteran O-lineman, definitely not a building block for the furture as he will be 35. But he's still one of the better left tackles in the league, and has the ability to play other positions on the O-line as well. If we picked up Whitworth for a year or two, we could either slot him in at LT, Slide Castonzo over to RT, and groom Clark to pick up the LT spot when Whitworth leaves; or we could slot Whitworth in at RT and keep Castonzo at LT. The middle of our line with Mewhort-Kelly-Heag should be good, and we also have Reitz, Good, and Blythe as backups. Our line is really young and maybe could use some veteran presence. Whitworth at 35 and with a family may not want to move too far, so Indy could be appealing as a short term destination for him to play out what could be the end of his career. 

 

 

Draft:

 

Currently working with the assumption that we have the 14th overall pick... 

 

R1 (14): Dawuane Smoot, Edge, Illinois - A quick twitch edge rusher, who I see shows great burst on tape. Has been compared to a more athletic Whitney Mercilus.

 

R2 (46): Harold Landry, Edge, BC - A productive edge rusher who has already slashed his way to 11 sacks this season. He's played really well against the run in years past, now he's emerging as a pass rushing threat too.

 

R3 (78): Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee - In my view the most elusive running back in this draft class. Some may view him as only a 3rd down back, I see him as a potential difference maker on Sundays. 

 

R4: Jordan Thomas, CB, Oklahoma - I think there will probably be some talent at CB who could slip to early day 3, possibly a guy like Thomas who has potential. I think a better pass rush will improve our secondary, but let's add some depth here.

 

R4 (comp): D.J. Jones, NT, Ole MIss - Another guy to mix it up at the NT position with Kerr and Parry. He's got some good traits athletically, and maybe he can develop into a solid starter down the road. 

 

R5: David Jones, S, Richmond - I'd like to add depth to the safety position, if possible. This is a guy who I find intriguing. 

 

R6: Jake Elliott, K, Memphis - With our kicker's age, if he retires I'm not going to oppose the idea of using a late round pick on the often underrated kicker position. Here's a guy who I saw in a couple places listed as the second rated kicker in the draft class. 

[Gavin]

I'm going to be doing some mocks. At least 1 anyway but I'm just waiting until after the season when we have a complete understanding of where we draft and PFF comes out with their big board based on grades and such

 

I have my eye on Zach Cunningham-ILB Vanderbilt, Charles Harris-DE/OLB Missouri, Tim Williams-OLB Alabama, Jonathan Allen-DE Alabama. A couple others

 

 

[Defjamz26]

The thing I like about Smooot is that he's slipping on big boards but I still like him. However I'm not sure if I like him or Charles Harris more.

[NewColtsFan]

 

Of the assumed retirements.....

 

I think Mathis is the only one that seems likely.

 

I think Adams might.....   but I'll wait for the season to play out.

 

I think the chances of Vinatierri and Gore retiring would be extremely low.    Both are playing well,  especially AV, and both have another year on their contracts.       Gore could stay just to show the running back we draft how to be a top professional and aid in the transition.  

 

[Carlos Danger]

I like the positions taken in the mock, but I would swap out some of the players, for sure. I don't think we have the kind of O-Line that would allow a finesse RB to have a lot of success. I think we will be in the market for a bruiser in the mid rounds. 

 

Allen (Edge) from Alabama would be a dream pick for us. He's an absolute animal... Sadly, I assume he's long gone by the time we make our first pick. Hopefully some teams overdraft QBs and one of the top edge prospects falls... I expect Allen to be a top 10 guy, regardless. 

 

The 2017 draft class seems loaded with talented LBs, CBs, RBs, and D Linemen. I wouldn't be upset to see us make our first 3 (or 4) picks on defense. 

[Track Guy]

Here's a 'nother mock draft scenario/off season:

 

Assumptions… Earned pick 16 and compensatory 4th round pick… Traded pick 16 for picks 28 and 60. Re-signed: Jack Doyle, Erik Walden, Zach Kerr… Major free agent addition: Zach Brown, ILB (Bills)… Extensions to: Jack Mewhort, Donte Moncrief.

 

Draft:

28 - Harold Landry, Edge, Boston College

48 - Forrest Lamp, OL, Western Kentucky

60 - Alvin Kamara, RB, Tennessee

80 - Vincent Taylor, NT, Oklahoma St.

R4 - Marquez White, CB, Florida St.

R4 - Keionta Davis, Edge, Chattanooga

R5 - David Jones, S, Richmond

R6 - Jake Elliott, K, Memphis